«My visit to Morocco allowed me to talk about what touches my heart : peace, unity, fraternity», said Pope Francis on his return from the Kingdom. Responding to questions from the press aboard the Papal plane, Pope Francis stressed that this trip had given him the image of a «beautiful flower of coexistence», calling for perseverance on this path and transcending the difficulties «which unfortunately exist because there are intransigent groups». «In our religion, there is always a fundamentalist group that does not want to go ahead, that lives bitter memories of past struggles and that seeks more war and sows fear», Pope Francis pointed out, calling for «sowing hope». In this regard, the Supreme pontiff underlined the virtues of dialogue and openness towards the Other that he has observed in the Kingdom. «We have seen in the dialogue with you in Morocco that we need bridges. We feel pain when we see the people who prefer to build the walls (...) those who build the walls will end up trapped in the walls they build. Those who build bridges are moving forward», he underlined. «The bridge is for human communication, it is very beautiful and I have seen it here in Morocco», said Pope Francis. Referring to the Al-Quds Appeal, Pope Francis affirmed that it is «a step forward, made not by an authority of Morocco and by an authority of the Vatican, but by brother believers who suffer to see that this city of hope is still not as universal as we all want it to be». «Jews, Muslims and Christians. We all want that. And for that we have signed this Appeal. This desire, more than an agreement, a desire, a call to religious fraternity that is symbolized in this city that belongs to all of us», the Pope said. Pope Francis also raised the issue of migration and called on Europe's generosity. «I cannot accept so much cruelty and drowning in the Mediterranean», said Pope Francis, noting that «welcoming, accompanying and integrating remain the key values of the solution to be developed».
